Remember those "new in box" Dreamcasts that ThinkGeek was selling awhile back? It was exciting stuff, so they sold out pretty quickly. If you didn't get one, too bad... or maybe you got off easy.

According to a tipster who wishes to remain anonymous, perhaps things aren't quite what they seem -- they may not be new at all. Our tipster was "fortunate" enough to place an order before they were sold out, and was disappointed by what he received.

"While the extra controller was new, the console was far from it," he writes. "The console itself is roughed up -- the barcode has been scratched, the console's plastic has gunk on it."

He continues on to mention damage to plastic from being expose to the light, a worn serial number sticker, scratches, "gunk" on the controller port, and more. All total, with shipping and delivery, our tipster tells us the Dreamcast cost nearly $200.

A request for a full refund has been submitted, which he hopes will cover costs of the console, shipping and handling charges; after two weeks, he's received no response from ThinkGeek.

"I could have easily bought a used Dreamcast locally for $25," he says.

We've reached out to ThinkGeek for comment. Does anyone else have anything similar to report, or did your console ship "new" as advertised?

[Update: ThinkGeek has responded to this story. Check out the full update here.]

As a collector, I often make up my own rules in regards to where to stop. I usually draw the line at extra merchandise from games outside of those I absolutely adore -- and boy do I adore Skies of Arcadia.
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